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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · sharp · press · calf · spring · chip · capital · patient

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. capital — a city
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. spring — of water
  5. chip — to eat
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. press — to push
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. spring — the season
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. press — newspapers
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. capital — money
  19. press — a publisher
  20. chip — for betting
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com